The project, funded by the National Centre for Research and Development, involves the Gdansk University of Technology, the Military Academy of Technology and the Air Force Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n
“The main objective is to create a solution, a platform, which will contribute to enhancing national security, explains project manager Prof. Miros\u0142aw K. Gerigk of the Department of Mechanical Vehicles and Military Technology at the Gdansk University of Technology.<\/p>\n
The platform under construction will have a turboprop propulsion system. It is expected to hover above water at a height of several metres and weigh a maximum of 400 kilograms. The vehicle will be controlled remotely from the shore, with subsequent stages of work designed to increase its autonomy.<\/p>\n
The craft is expected to perform designated tasks over water areas close to the shoreline, take off from the water, fly at a minimum height above the water surface and launch, carrying loads of a set weight. The prototype is expected to be ready in 2026 and is being created from hybrid materials: primarily glass and carbon fibre with a plastic spacer material.<\/p>\n
The near-surface effect is to increase the lifting force of an aircraft moving at a low height above the ground or water (assumed to be half the wingspan). The wings then generate more lift than when flying at a higher altitude. This is mainly due to a significant increase in the vortex area generated by the airfoil.<\/p>\n
The near-surface effect is used by birds such as herons, cranes and pelicans, which fly just above the water surface in search of food, moving their wings infrequently and ‘lazily’.<\/p>\n
Arkadiusz S\u0142omczy\u0144ski<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A consortium led by the Gdansk University of Technology is developing a screenplane – a type of unmanned aircraft that flies low over water, using the near-surface effect. It will…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":55543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"yoast_head":"\n